Toronto, March 10, 2014—Optech, the world leader in the development, manufacture and support of high-accuracy lidar 3D survey systems and productivity-enhancing workflow software, is pleased to announce the release of the HydroFusion Turbid Water Module, a powerful new tool that enables the Optech CZMIL Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar to collect bathymetry data in water conditions that were previously impossible to capture.

Based on Optech’s extensive experience in lidar bathymetry waveform analysis, the Turbid Water Module is an addition to the Optech CZMIL HydroFusion workflow specifically designed to detect and extract bathymetry measurements from turbid, shallow waters and muddy, less reflective seafloors, areas where previous lidar bathymeters could not extract depth measurements. Combined with the advanced hardware of the Optech CZMIL, the Turbid Water Module has successfully made seafloor measurements from very shallow waters (depth <1-2 m) in highly turbid conditions (Kd >0.5 m-1) with dark, muddy bottoms (reflectance = 3-5%).

“The new HydroFusion Turbid Water Module represents a dramatic step forward for the world of lidar bathymetry”, said Max Elbaz, President of Optech, Inc. “Up until now, lidar bathymeters were restricted to the few parts of the world with clear waters and reflective seafloors, leaving large areas unsurveyed. With the Turbid Water Module, users of the Optech CZMIL can venture into vast new areas with high water turbidity and low seafloor reflectance, and even survey right up to the edge of the shoreline for a seamless transition from bathymetry to topography.”

Optech will be displaying various examples of HydroFusion data products, including results derived using the Turbid Water Module, at its booth in Oceanology International 2014 on March 11-13, so those interested in seeing what the Optech CZMIL system and HydroFusion workflow can do for them can drop by to see the results themselves.